Hello all, and welcome back to A Hero's Creed! And to all of those why celebrate the holidays, Merry Christmas! Unless you're reading this after it came out. In that case, eh, whatever. Let's get to reviews!

AutieFan123: Oh, Tomura's gonna be PISSED when he learns his master's gone. Question is, what can he do about it?

Gamelover41592: Thank you.

LEGOBRICK13: HEHEHE! You fool! You fell into my trap and have left yourself dazed! Beware, for I have more traps laid out for the future! Introducing Izuku's main enemies of the long-term story: Pony's family! HAHAHA!

maxperseus130: Now hold on. If you're gonna be theorizing, I want you to not though out proper ingredients. I said your last couple of theories were cold, not frozen. Just because you have the stuff doesn't mean you know how to make chicken cordon bleu. And, whether he's a true Isu or not, I hope you like Aaron as an antagonist. When it comes to susceptibility to the POE, we have some discrepancy in the series because even Desmond is affected at the end of AC: Revelations despite his ability to use them. That's some wiggle room that's a bit hard to balance for the future.

Yes, Sara is Nekoi's real name, but remember that there were three girls in that picture. Question here is: who is the third and what happened to her?

I'll need to actually watch the MHA movie for myself before making final decisions about what I do with it. Either way, have fun with Odyssey!

Monkey D. Conan: You cannot prepare for an enemy you cannot predict. That is a flaw that can carry severe consequences.

Pirohiko-Baltazar: Oh, yes. I had to do some research into the various POE in the AC franchise in preparation for this story, so I have ideas for most of them.

Ricardo Valencia: I'm glad that twist caught you! I'd been planning for it.

Shadowwolf1997: I'm glad you liked the twist! What were your thoughts about the reveal? How did it shape your thoughts of how the story may move forward?

Wizardwolf 1020: It's not like every Quirk is an individual POE, but as I've said before, I have reasons for everything, they just might not be obvious because that's the point of a mystery. I'm glad you think Meta Collection is a better name. I always thought All for One was a stupid title. The final battle is years (like for us and in the story, literal years) away. But I can promise you one thing, neither One for All nor All for One will play a part.

ZonZus: Well, the main reason the solar flair killed off the Isu and most of their manufactured humans in Canon was their war. The majority of the Isu where stuck on that and the few that were trying to stop the flair (Jupiter, Minerva, Juno, exc.) just didn't have the manpower or time. And the robot analogy, while it works, isn't quite the same because humans aren't genetically compatible with robots the way the Isu were with humans. It's more like if we created a superrace of human/monkey hybrids and left them the earth only to want it back later. Either way, I don't think humans want to just give up.

Chapter 27:

Return to Normalcy

Izuku stepped into a noisy classroom Monday morning, smiles on most of his classmates' faces. His eyes scanned them carefully, his mind judging their movements in an attempt to derive what they had learned in their time away without actually asking them. It was a skill Master Kamihara had tried to introduce him to, the ability to study someone's nonverbals to predict what they were capable of. Most of them stood in groups of two or three, discussing how eventful or boring their week had been.

His thoughts were interrupted by laughter, Izuku and several others looking toward Sero and Kirishima as they all but rolled on the floor while pointing at Bakugo. Even Izuku had to stifle a laugh at the image of the blond's hair trapped in a perfect 2-3 part.

"Quit laughing, dumbasses!" the explosive teen yelled. "It's not my fault! That stupid Hero I did my useless fucking internship with styled it with so much damn gel it won't go back to normal!"

Izuku tried to suppress a snort. He failed.

"Ah‽" Bakugo questioned, stomping his way to where Izuku stood. His anger alone seemed to be enough to cause his hair to return to its normal, spiky appearance. "If you have something to say, Deku, you better say it to my fucking face or I'll kill you!"

Izuku froze, his humor gone in a moment He looked up slowly to stare Bakugo in the eye.

"Excuse me?" Izuku demanded. The room quieted at the ice in his tone, most in the room turning to watch the interaction. Two in particular took special interest in it, one pair of green eyes watching over Ochako's shoulder and a pair of blue from near Mina and Toru.

"You damn-well heard me," Bakugo growled. "So say your piece to my face before I kill you for looking down on me!"

"You shouldn't threaten people like that, Bakugo."

"Oh?" the blond snarked, reaching forward to grab a handful of Izuku's uniform. The verdet's friends shifted, preparing to hurry over and interrupt the situation. "So now you've got a problem with how I fuckin' talk to people? Then speak up!"

"Yeah, I've got a problem!" Izuku hissed, grabbing his own handful of Bakugo's neckline. His green eyes glared into Bakugo's blue. "Do you think life and death is a game? Do you think your words have no meaning?"

"The Hell are you on about, Deku?"

"You can't go around threatening to kill people, Bakugo. You don't know what it means."

"And you do?"

Izuku let go after a moment, pushing Bakugo away. "Forget it," he muttered. "I shouldn't have called you out. You aren't worth it."

"Ex-fuckin'-scuse me?" the blond demanded, rounding on him as his lifelong victim walked away. "You can't just say some shit like that and walk off! I won't have you looking down on me!"

"Then back up your words!" Izuku replied, turning back. He spread his arms, glaring at the bully. "Do it! Kill me like you've always threatened to!"

"Fine!" The explosive teen shot forward, several in the class moving as if to intercept the coming brawl despite knowing they wouldn't make it in time. Izuku stood, unflinching, as Bakugo's palm came directly for him, tiny explosions already popping across his skin.

It stopped just shy, Izuku only able to see part of Bakugo's face through the space between the other teen's fingers. They were still for a few seconds before the verdet lowered his arms and turned away.

"That's what I thought."

"I just don't want to right now! You're less than nothing, Deku!"

"No, you're scared," Izuku said, setting his stuff down on his desk. "You know what the consequences would be if you actually tried, so you didn't know what to do when I called your bluff. Killing isn't an idle threat, Bakugo, so you shouldn't go around using it like one. Find something you might actually do if you want to scare people."

"What's got you so fuckin' high and mighty all of a sudden?"

"I don't have any reason to tell you, Bakugo. Now stop wasting my time."

"Deku, you—!"

"Alright, everyone in your seats," Aizawa ordered, opening the door. Everyone, even Pony for the limited time she'd been in 1-A, instantly found their desks and sat. A silent few seconds passed as Aizawa moved to the front of the room, but something was different about him. He wasn't wearing his usual sleeping bag and, as he turned to face the class, the bags under his eyes were almost nonexistent. He seemed to almost glow and, if the students squinted, he almost had a smile. There was definitely some upturn at the corners of his lips. "Good morning, class. I hope you all learned a few lessons from your internships."

"…Who are you and what have you done to our teacher‽" 19 voices cried out, some with extra vocabulary and a few either snapping into battle-ready stances or falling out of their chairs in shock. Only Pony remained silent, not having been in class with Aizawa enough to properly compare and contrast his demeanor. Any hint of a smile Aizawa had dropped into a clear frown, his eyes half-lidding.

"Was that necessary?" he questioned.

"Our apologies, Sensei," Momo said, speaking for the class as their representative. "We were simply taken aback by your countenance. You are typically more…" She waved her arm, looking for the proper word.

"Gloomy?" Kaminari offered.

"Unenergetic?" Mina said.

"Angry?" Jiro tried.

"Sad?" Koji whispered.

"S'mad," Kirishima nodded.

"Disconsolate?" Tokoyami suggested.

"Yes, disconsolate," Momo decided before anyone else could insult their teacher. "Did something occur recently to put you in such a positive mood?"

"No," Aizawa said. "It was simply nice to not deal with the lot of you for a week."

"Look at that," Toru muttered. "You all ruined his mood."

"Alright, everyone shut up and listen," he ordered, the class snapping to attention. "We don't have much to discuss today, but I will warn you all not to gorge yourselves at lunch. Your Heroics class today is going to test what you all learned during your time away and I don't think any of us want you throwing up during class."

"We understand, Sensei," the class chorused.

"Good. In other news, your term finals are coming up soon and they will consist of both a written test and a practical exam, similar to the entrance exam but more difficult to reflect your growth. You are all expected to do well or, similar to the Sports Festival, you may get booted from the Hero Course. If any of you fail the written test, you will automatically be reassigned to General Studies regardless of your other score." Several members of the class groaned, those groans coming from the students with the lowest test grades. "We cannot have any Heroes who do not understand the law, no matter how skilled they are. Should you fail your practical, you will not be reassigned, but you will be having remedial classes throughout the summer rather than participate in the Hero Course Summer Camp."

"There's a summer camp, ribbit?" Tsuyu blinked.

"It is a tradition at UA for the first-year classes to take a school training trip between their first two semesters, lest the instructors worry you slack off while away during the break."

"No one in our class would ever do such a thing!" Iida exclaimed, his hand chopping the air. Several of their number, unbeknownst to the straight-laced student, pursed their lips and fought off the instinct to whistle innocently.

"Whether any would or would not doesn't matter," Aizawa stated. "The fact is none of you will get the chance. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sensei!" the class chorused again.

"Good. Well, that's all I had for you, so everyone get your homework out and put it on my desk."

"We had homework‽"

"No." Aizawa cracked a smile. "I just wanted to scare you."

"Geeze!" Mina breathed, slumping over the lunch table. "What was up with Aizawa-sensei this morning? It was like he was in a good mood or something! I don't like it! It's weird!"

"Is it such a bad thing for Aizawa-sensei to be happy, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked, her tongue dipped in pudding despite her not having touched anything else on her tray yet.

"Well, no," the pink-skinned girl sighed. "But I want him to tell us why he's so happy all of a sudden!"

"You have never seen Aizawa-sensei so happy?" Pony blinked.

"Leave him alone, Ashido," Izuku told her. "Aizawa-sensei's personal life is none of our concern."

"I quite agree," Iida nodded. "As long as our teacher remains a moral, upstanding Hero, then that is all that should matter about what he does. Rather, we must focus on our immediate classes and look forward to our exams at the end of the semester. We should not aim simply to pass. As students of UA, we must excel!"

"I don't understand why you seem so anxious about our finals, Ashido," Momo commented.

"I just don't test well," the girl complained. "Kaminari's in the same boat as me, too. Every test we've had has been a struggle, Yaomomo!"

"What manner of studying do you employ?"

"I look over my notes for half an hour every night."

"That's a lie, ribbit," Tsuyu interjected, a scandalized look crossing Mina's face. Pony hid a laugh as a cough while trying to sip her milk. "She doesn't study until three days before a test, ribbit, and then she crams like she's trying to turn a jar into a lightbulb with only fireflies."

"I— But— H-How do you know that, Tsu?"

"You get bags under your eyes before every test, ribbit."

"Man, you don't have to expose me like that, Tsu." Mina pouted. She reached over, hugging Pony close. "Pony! Help me! You have to have some American wisdom to get me out of this!"

["Lazy salmon don't make it up the river,"] the blonde suggested in English. ["And deer who lick no rocks grow no antlers."]

"That doesn't make any sense, Pony! Speak Japanese!"

"Well, as Class Representative, it is my duty to ensure our class as a whole passes our finals," Momo said. She clapped her hands. "I know! Why don't we establish a study group? We can convene once or twice a week so those of us with higher grades can assist those who struggle more? My home should have plenty of space for everyone to gather."

"That's a great idea, Yaomomo!" Mina cheered. "I'll get everyone on board!"

"In addition to improving our cumulative grades," Iida began, "it would also assist in building moral and camaraderie within our class. I would be happy to aid anyone in need."

"My mom is in town for a bit and she used to be a teacher," Pony piped up. "I will ask her for study tips. She helps homeschool my younger siblings, so she should know a lot."

Izuku and Tsuyu glanced at each other, glad that their friends were too distracted discussing their plans to pay such a subtle motion any mind. A study group was not a bad idea, but they had their Assassin training to work around and any activity happening at the Yaoyorozu household could be a breeding ground for Templar ideas and recruitment. After the chewing out they'd both received from Izuku's last jaunt with Momo, they'd need permission before committing to anything. Unfortunately, they couldn't think of any public argument to not have it at her home.

"Sorry, ribbit, but I don't think I could make it too often," the frog-girl began. "My parents are pretty busy and my siblings aren't old enough to be left on their own, ribbit. I'd need to look at a schedule before making any promises."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Momo sighed.

"No, it's fine," Tsuyu insisted. "My grades aren't low enough for me to worry about the written part, ribbit, but not high enough that I think I could tutor anyone. I'll try to make it to some of the sessions. I just won't be a regular, ribbit."

"I understand. And what about you, Izuku? Your grades are phenomenal and you are our Vice-Representative. You should help me lead this."

"I don't know if I could make it either," Izuku chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he employed every lesson about deception Master Kamihara had forced into his head. "I spend a lot of time outside of class training just to keep up with you all and your amazing Quirks, so I'm more worried about the practical."

"Oh…" Momo nearly deflated, causing a stone to fall in Izuku's gut. "I was hoping you would be able to make it, Izuku. Your assistance would have gone a long way toward helping our classmates."

"I know. Look, Momo, I'll try to be there when I can, but my trainers can only meet at certain times and I need to stay in shape. If I only practice during class, then I'll quickly fall behind all of you." Momo still seemed down, prompting Izuku to continue. "How about this? I'll make some lessons about note-taking. You all have seen my Quirk Analysis notebooks, so you know I'm good at it. That should at least help a little bit. I just can't stretch myself too thin."

"I suppose you cannot fill another's cup until your own in overflowing," Momo acquiesced. "I do hope you are present more often than not."

"I do not think Bakugo will be there, so that should be one less thing you need to worry about," Pony commented. Those at the table tuned to her. "What? Is there something I am missing? I gathered that they do not like each other, so his not being there might change Izuku's choice."

Izuku coughed into his cup at her use of his given name, as Americans did.

"Speaking of Bakugo," Mina picked up. "Midori, what was the deal between you and him this morning?"

"What do you mean?" the verdet blinked, clearing his throat. "You know we've never really gotten along."

"We are aware," Iida said. "However, you were more hostile in your interaction before Homeroom today than you have been before. Especially when you were the instigator in this instance. I can only assume that something occurred during your internship that caused Bakugo's callous words to affect you more than previously."

"I…" Izuku let out a sigh. "Yeah, you could say something happened."

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Izuku," Tsuyu muttered.

"No, it… It's ok." Izuku looked down, twiddling his fingers. "So Master —that's what Edgeshot-sensei wanted Haya-senpai and me to call him— took us on patrols in the afternoons. That's really all it was supposed to be, but if we came across something, we were supposed to step in. Well, one afternoon, Master and I heard a scream and went to investigate. A Quirk of some kind had gone awry and this man's dog was attaching him. It was really scary and we tried to separate them, but…" Izuku trailed off. He swallowed a lump in his throat and wiped away an incomplete tear. "Well, we ended up having to k-kill the dog."

"I'm so sorry, Izuku," Momo consoled.

"I had no idea," Iida muttered.

"It didn't make the news," Izuku said with a shake of his head. "The man didn't want it getting out. He thanked us for saving him, but I saw how he acted. Even though his dog had gone rabid, it was still his pet. He… He held the dog's body and cried despite the danger he'd been in. I just… It all came back when Bakugo used his usual threat and I just snapped without thinking. I'm sorry for making you all worry."

"You don't need to apologize, ribbit," Tsuyu said, resting a hand on Izuku's back. "Stuff happens. It's not our place to demand explanation."

"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Mina commented. "Sorry. I kind of just assumed everyone else's internships were as boring as mine."

"Sometimes, we make choices in the moment," Momo said, staring at her food. "After that, we have nothing to do except wonder if we made the right choice since we can't take it back. We just have to keep telling ourselves we did."

"Making a wrong choice may carry consequences," Iida put in, "but we learn more from failure than from success. The point of school is to make our mistakes now where we can recover before the consequences are too high. All Might-sensei said the first part in one of our Heroics classes and Aizawa-sensei said the latter during the Sports Festival."

"Yeah," Izuku breathed. "Just… seeing that made Bakugo's words rub me the wrong way. I'll try to be better about it."

"Well, you have all of us and everyone else to support you!" Mina said. "Now hurry up and eat! You don't want to go hungry for Heroics this afternoon!"

"Welcome, Heroes in training, to Ground Gamma!" All Might announced, waving his arm toward a grey landscape of rising buildings and metal pipes crisscrossing each other. "This is UA's training ground for city maneuvers! This labyrinth of concrete and metal will be today's test of what you have learned during your internships! And today's training will focus on…" He gave a dramatic pause, posing. "Rescue training!"

"Um, All Might-sensei?" Tsuyu questioned, one hand raised. "If we're doing rescue training, ribbit, then shouldn't we be training in the USJ?"

"Haha! A good question, Young Asui, but no! The USJ is designed to simulate natural disasters, but that's not what we are working on! Most of the time, you will be operating during average weather in the city, so a Hero needs to know how best to cover ground in urban areas! Even if that is not where you plan to operate, you may still be called in to help with certain incidents, so every Hero needs to practice for every terrain! I suppose, but that metric, a more accurate name for this is not rescue, but tracking!"

"I guess that makes sense."

"Are there any more questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one," Bakugo said. "Where's the bitch in distress and what are the rules?"

"That's two questions," Kirishima pointed out.

"Shut the fuck up, Red Hair!"

All Might's smile dipped a little, but he still raised a finger to emphasize his words. "We will have four groups of five who will race to find me somewhere in Ground Gamma. I will be hiding somewhere different each time with only my initial cry of help as reference. If no one finds me within five minutes, I will call out again, but more quietly. Each participant will begin somewhere along the perimeter, and race placement will be determined by whose feet land first. Cameras and drones have been installed around the area to show those not currently participating the action. Are there any more questions?" No one spoke. "Good then! Group 1 shall consist of Izuku Midoriya, Mezo Shoji, Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, and Pony Tsunotori! Would you five please make your way to the designated areas?"

Izuku moved at his words, taking the leftmost entrance from the viewing platform. His friends wished him luck on his way, but he wasn't truly focused on their words. Rather, Bakugo's image had taken over his thoughts, the explosive blond starting on the opposite side from Izuku. They had not interacted outside of sideways glares, but Izuku was determined to make Bakugo acknowledge him. He didn't know why it was so important to him, but he knew it stemmed from their argument this morning. Izuku tapped his headphones and flipped his visor down, Mei's tech buzzing to life as a minimap appeared in the corner of his vision. Unlike the prototype from before his internship, this map held squares that represented buildings and —Mei promised— only had a 7% chance of blowing up.

"HELP!"

A green light blipped on the screen, outside of his minimap's limited area but directing him directly into Ground Gamma. He took off, firing a rope-dart into the top of a nearby building to pull himself up onto more familiar terrain. His ribbed soles dug into the rooftop as he landed, sprinting. He jumped, using his rope-dart as an assist as he made a beeline for the green dot on his minimap.

"Woah," Kirishima gasped as he and his fellow classmates watched group 1's progress. "Midoriya's not deviating an inch! It's like he's not even searching!"

"I don't think he is," Ochako commented. "Before our internships, I remember him saying something about specialized tech the Support Course was making for him. It wasn't working that well during our joint training with 1-B, but it's now had several upgrades."

"It is possible his visor has a sort of tracking function," Momo thought aloud. "That is his Heroic priority, so this training should be his bread and butter, so to speak. However," Her eyes shifted to the other screens that depicted the other competitors in this race. "I do not believe Izuku to be the fastest."

"Well, speed isn't really a factor if he's the only one that really knows where they're going," Sero commented, rubbing his chin with a hand. "Sure, they all heard All Might, but do any of them have the spatial awareness to lock onto his voice from just that?"

As he spoke, a massive, thin line of ice shot out of the training ground's skyline, Shoto rocketing himself into the air. Pony, who had split each of her horns into two and was using the four halves to fly rather efficiently, skittered and nearly feel as her route was suddenly blocked. Shoto spun in the air, making eye contact with her before spreading his arms. Ice bloomed from one side and fire from the other.

And then there was steam.

"All Might never said we weren't allowed to disrupt the others, ribbit," Tsuyu thought aloud as an English curse echoed through the air. Unaffected by his own steam, Shoto formed a snowboard, an ice ramp, and used his fire to build speed downward. Like a professional winter athlete, he rocketed toward the center of Ground Gamma.

"Did you just see that?" Mina gasped. "That was crazy! Who'd he learn that from?"

"I don't think he told anyone who he interned with," Kaminari commented. "They taught him some awesome moves, though."

"Get out of my damn way, nerds!"

Back over the training field, Bakugo had found his fellow students, not that he considered them fellows in any sense of the word. He reached forward, an explosion causing enough concussive force to blow Shoto off course without injuring him. The dual-haired teen let out a grunt as he started to tumble through the air.

"Oh, it is you!" Pony yelled, gesturing with her hand. Both halves of one of her horns shot forward, Bakugo reaching forward and blasting the parts into smaller pieces. The American smirked, the smaller pieces moving to shove into Bakugo's gut and push him away. "Go take a hike, angry pomronan!"

"The Hell did you just call me, horse bitch‽"

Unnoticed by the arguing blonds, Shoto ice-boarded away, following the same path he'd been traveling. Rather than launch himself into the air for distance, however, his ice slope continued down to the street and directly toward a half-closed warehouse, All Might's colorful legs showing under the door. Fire burst to life on his left side as he prepared to launch forward along the frozen street.

A rope-dart lanced downward, stabbing into and shattering his snowboard of ice. Shoto's eyes widened as he was thrown forward, hitting the ice and skidding to a stop. He painfully looked up, idly nursing a scratched cheek, to see a flash of dark green.

"Sorry, Todoroki!" Izuku called, running atop Shoto's ice with no trouble thanks to his grooved soles. He was in a dead race with Shoji, the multi-armed students running on the rooftops to avoid the ice for which he did not have a counter. Shoto pushed himself to his feet and formed another snowboard, but the other two students were already too close for him to catch up. Even as he started, Shoji leapt from the roofs toward the dock only to land a moment too late. Shoto slid under the door and pulled to a stop beside All Might, Izuku and Shoji standing alongside the hulking teacher.

"Ah, Young Todoroki!" the Hero smiled. "You have arrived in third place! That is nothing to be ashamed of and, according to the video, you have greatly increased your mobility over long distance! That is excellent!"

Shoto ignored him, instead turning to the verdet who had taken first. "Sabotaging me was a dirty trick, Midoriya."

"I mean, I said I was sorry?" Izuku chuckled, scratching a cheek with his finger. "I was only really thinking about how to outpace Shoji and you were set to beat us both. I got a little competitive there. I would say I should've warned you, but that's not what Villains would do."

"No, it is not," Shoto agreed. "However, I trained extensively to be able to hear and pinpoint even the smallest sounds, yet you still managed to surprise me. How?"

"How?" the verdet blinked. "It might be because I was in the air when I threw my rope-dart."

"Threw?" Shoji questioned. "I thought those were air-compressed since I watched them go through solid concrete."

"They are not," Shoto confirmed, ignoring an explosion from outside. "I would have heard them if that were so."

"No, I throw them with my own strength," Izuku admitted. "It took a lot of training and broken darts to manage to stab concrete with them and even longer to wrap around steel beams."

"That takes considerable strength, Midoriya. I am impressed."

"Oh, thanks." Izuku rubbed the back of his head, his gear hiding the embarrassed blush on his face. He just wasn't used to the praise.

"I do not understand how you managed to track All Might-sensei so quickly," Shoji said. "Todoroki admitted to practicing his hearing and my Dupli-Arm can form enough ears so I could hear our teacher's heartbeat." He formed several ears to emphasize his point. "What was your method, Midoriya? I was under the impression your Quirk required a line of sight."

"It does, but I wasn't using my Quirk." Izuku pulled his hood back, exposing his headphones. He pulled them off along with his visor. "This was a test of my new support gear. See, I need a line of sight to use Empathetic Eye, but I also wanted to be able to keep tabs on my surroundings without needing to look away, so I had Hatsume in the Support Course make this for me. It functions similar to echolocation, allowing me to track noises in relation to me and assigns color to danger or need. Primarily, it tracks cries for help or sounds of distress. They appear on a map for me so I can get to victims quickly since every second can count."

"That is some excellent support gear, Young Midoriya!" All Might said. "You are right in that every second counts in search and rescue! As an aspiring Rescue Hero, this equipment is the perfect addition to your repertoire! Also, it still fits with your theme!"

"What do you mean, All Might-sensei?"

"Well, on top of superb vision, eagles also have excellent hearing! Your Hero name is Eagle Eye, is it not?"

"Er, y-yes!" Izuku answered, unable to stop the welling of pride in his gut. Even after these months as his student in UA, Izuku still could not stop the pride he felt whenever All Might made some comment about his hopes and dreams, that All Might knew who he was and what he wanted to do. Sure, All Might was far more idealistic than most Assassins, but he had still been Izuku's primary inspiration for most of his life.

"I am going to beat you!" Pony's voice called from outside the door.

"Like Hell you will, horse bitch!" Bakugo responded, his words followed by several quick explosions. The pair tumbled through the half-closed door at the same time, the American landing on her hands and hooves and practically galloping forward. Bakugo broke his fall with a roll, springing into a flip to land right in front of the group. His eyes widened. "What‽ There's no way all you fuckin' extras beat me here!"

"Incorrect, Young Bakugo!" All Might replied. "While you and Young Tsunotori were busy fighting in the air, the rest of your classmates were busy completing the assigned task. Do either of you have anything to say about this?"

"Sorry, All Might-sensei," Pony muttered, offering a bow that was not as practiced as that of any native. "After our encounter during the Sports Festival, I felt the need to prove myself against Bakugo."

"I don't have to explain shit!" the explosive teen yelled. "An enemy got in my way and it's her fault I got delayed!"

"I disagree with the idea, but that is as good a segue as any into another lesson," All Might said. "During rescue operations, it is possible for Villains —whether they are the cause or simply opportunistic— to attack Heroes in the process. This means it is best practice to work in groups. If nothing else, it may take multiple people to rescue larger individuals —such as myself— or move dangerous debris. Therefore, were this a team exercise, it would have been acceptable to focus on combat, but this was not and there was no need. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, All Might-sensei!" four of the five students answered.

"Huh?" Bakugo grunted. "I don't need any extras slowing me down. I'll become the number one Hero all by myself."

"And yet, you were in last place this time," Shoto commented.

"You wanna go right here and now, Icy-Hot‽" Izuku was thankful for the gator that covered his mouth since it hid his grin. "I bet you think you're so much better than me since you came in first this time!"

"Actually, it was Midoriya that defeated the rest of us. I received third behind Shoji."

"Ah?" the blond demanded, turning his rage on Izuku. "Have you got something to say about all this, stupid Deku?"

"Now, boys," All Might tried to interject. "There is no need for—"

"I came in first because this is what I do, Bakugo," Izuku responded. "I find people and I get to them. You could have beaten me if you didn't let yourself get distracted, but that's not what happened, was it?"

"Don't you lecture me like you're better, Deku, or I'll fuckin' kill you!" Izuku's nostrils flared. "Aww, what's wrong? Did I touch one of your sensitive nerves?"

"You are sowing seeds, Bakugo, and you aren't going to like the crop you reap. If you don't change your act—"

"I don't give a shit what you think I should do," Bakugo interrupted, getting in his face. "You and everyone else are just steppingstones on my climb to the top. And if you or anyone else wants to try to stop me, you're welcome to go ahead and damn-well try!"

"Boys!" All Might yelled. "That is enough! I don't know what has you both up in arms, but I better not see it bleeding into your schoolwork! Now, if you are done, we need to run through the other three groups. Please, make your way back to the viewing platform." He turned to the camera. "Group 2 will consist of Yuga Aoyama, Tenya Iida, Eijiro Kirishima, Hanta Sero, and Toru Hagakure. Please ready yourselves!"

Izuku took a breath as the others exited the dock, the boy running through the exercises his teachers had taught him to calm his emotions. He replaced his visor and headphones before flipping his hood back up. Therefore, he had a warming blip on his minimap when All Might stepped up behind him.

"Young Midoriya," he began. "Is something bothering you?"

He took a moment before answering. "Yes, All Might-sensei, but I don't think it's anything you can help with."

"Are you certain of that?"

"I think this is something I have to work through on my own," Izuku replied. "It would take far too long to explain."

"If you are sure." Izuku exited, leaving the current number one Hero alone.

All Might sighed, letting himself deflate as he stepped away from the exit where no one could see him. He so hoped to find a successor among the students here at UA and there were several contenders, but none of them felt right. Sure, Sir Nighteye had recommended Mirio Togata of 3-A and he was looking like a prominent candidate, but Nezu had agreed he was better as a last resort. One for All was a power that required many years to learn to control and thrusting it upon a third-year would only set them back at the very start of their true career. No, it would be better if he could find a student with several years' worth of time to learn to control the power before being thrust into the world to take on his mantel, but so far there had been no luck.

Young Midoriya would have been All Might's leading candidate if not for his dependance on weapons and gear. All Might himself used very little because few things could withstand the sheer power of One for All, so asking Young Midoriya to give up all his training now would only set him back far behind his peers. There was also no guarantee that his body would be able to handle One for All and he may die in the attempt to use it.

There were a few others possible successors among the class, but they had many of the same problems. If it was not their bodies' potential failure from hand-to-hand combat, then it was the volatility of how One for All would interact with their Quirks. And, as the Finals for the first term approached, All Might was becoming increasingly sure that he would not find his successor in this year's class. Should they reach the end of this year, All Might was sure he would need to find his own successor and train them to his own specifications.

Hopefully, someone would come to him before that happened. All Might could already feel his body threatening to give out under the immense strain of his gifted Quirk and it was only a matter of time until that happened. If that was the case, then he needed to at least confirm the rumors that Naomasa had told him about. If the Nomu were All for One's handiwork, then All Might would make sure, one way or another, he'd at least take the old Villain down with him.

Even if this was the end of One for All and he was the last user, All for One would not be a problem for his students.

Little did Toshinori Yagi know what rabbit hole he was stepping into or where it would lead him, but he was not a Hero known for giving up. Checking the cameras, he noted that the second group were almost to their starting points. Activating his Quirk, he buffed up again and moved to his second location atop a tower. He was still a teacher, after all.

"Let us begin. HELP!"

End of Chapter 27

Our students return to school, but some clearly still feel the effects of their internships. How long with this beef between Izuku and Bakugo simmer before something spirals out of control? What will Izuku and Tsuyu do about the dangers of this study group? And, what will All Might do when he finds his battle with All for One has come to an anticlimactic end? Let me know what you think!

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods